Politics
Scientists And Advocates Slam Anti-Marijuana Group For Blocking Their Participation In D.C. Drug Policy Conference
The prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is facing criticism over its decision to deny multiple drug policy reform experts entry to a summit it is hosting in Washington, D.C. this week where the organization will lay out its 2026 priorities and agenda.
Despite billing the 2026 SAM Good Drug Policy Summit as an opportunity for researchers and non-profits to learn how to “educate their communities and employees on all issues surrounding drugs and drug policy,” the pro-reform group Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) says SAM rejected their attendance and refunded paid tickets for the event.
“We will bring together powerful voices in drug policy from across the field, such as prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement experts to amplify our collective work and scale up drug policy solutions by educating decision-makers and the public about ways to harness science to prevent drug use, treat addiction, and forge pathways to recovery,” SAM, which also partnered with Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions for the conference, said in a description of the event.
Of course, SAM and SSDP hold diametrically opposed viewpoints on the best path to address drug policy issues—with the former staunchly defending the status quo of prohibition and the latter favoring legalization and regulation. But SSDP says the denial of its membership from attending reflects a myopic attitude toward timely policy matters.
“Every SSDP member who purchased a ticket to attend—notably, those who are at the front lines of drug policy, including researchers, public health practitioners, and policy experts—received a refund with no real explanation as to why,” SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti said in a press release.
“The blanket exclusion of SSDP members raises serious concerns about SAM’s stated commitment to ‘good drug policy’ and open dialogue,” she said. “Rather than engaging with qualified experts whose work is grounded in peer-reviewed science, public health practice, and harm reduction, SAM appears intent on insulating its conference from evidence-based scrutiny.”
Multiple SSDP experts received a “note from organizer” after signing up and paying for their tickets to the summit that said “our organization reviews each attendee and their affiliation for all events,” and that following the review, “we have decided to refund your registration for the 2026 SAM Good Drug Policy Summit.”
SAM Executive Vice President Luke Niforatos declined to comment for this story when contacted by Marijuana Moment.
The conference comes as a critical inflection point in federal drug policy, with a decision pending on a proposal to reschedule marijuana and the U.S. Supreme Court reviewing a statutory ban preventing people who use cannabis from using or possessing firearms, for example. SAM has firmly inserted itself in those and other relevant debates.
“Excluding motivated young people who are passionate about drug policy simply because of their affiliations shows profound insecurity and questionable motives,“ Matthew Aragón, a longtime SSDP member and public health expert focused on youth, said.
Finnegan McGuinness, a neuroscience researcher with SSDP, said approaches to drug policy issues “need to be evidence-based, centered in human rights, and must hold up to scrutiny from diverse perspectives.”
“When SAM unilaterally bars SSDP from attending their summit, it sends the message that they are not truly concerned with scientific approaches to drug policy reform,” he said.
Meanwhile, as advocates and stakeholders await action on a proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)—which President Donald Trump recently directed the attorney general to expeditiously finalize—SAM has been gearing up for a legal showdown if the reform comes to fruition. The organization has retained the legal services of Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, to fight the policy change if it’s implemented.
Barr’s firm previously represented SAM last year in asking the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to extend the public comment period for the cannabis rescheduling proposal.
Because current Attorney General Pam Bondi has not yet signed off on the proposed rescheduling rule, which is the product of a scientific and legal review initiated under the Biden administration, no lawsuit has been filed yet. But should that happen, SAM President Kevin Sabet said his organization intends to sue in the court system while also petitioning DEA to move cannabis back to Schedule I.
Sabet has also noted that advocates are “facing increased pressure in legalized states, with several now considering a rollback of such policies.” That includes proposed partial repeals of voter-approved legalization laws in Maine, Massachusetts and Arizona.
Back in September, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) hosted the SAM president for an event focused on cannabis use trends and youth prevention, giving the organization a prominent platform for a discussion that largely promoted an anti-reform agenda.
SAM and 21 other prohibitionist groups also recently filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging justices to uphold the constitutionality of a federal gun ban for people who use cannabis—which they claim is associated with violence and psychosis.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
